Curry Leaves 11 Impressive Health Benefits & Intresting Facts

Curry leaves resemble ‘neem’ or Indian lilac and their name in most Indian languages translates to ‘sweet neem’. 

Neem has the ability to control diarrhea, gastrointestinal problems such as indigestion, excessive acid secretion, peptic ulcers, dysentery, diabetes, and unhealthy cholesterol balance. They are also believed to have cancer-fighting properties and are known to protect the liver. 

Botanical Name: Murraya Koenigii 

Neem means "Surabhinimba" in Sanskrit, and "Kaari Pata" in Bengali. 

Neem is an unarmed, semi-deciduous aromatic shrub or small tree with slender but strong woody stem and branches covered with dark grey bark, leaves are imparipinnate, glabrous, and very strongly aromatic. 

Curry leaves are the leaves of the curry tree. The plant is original in India and is usually found in tropical and subtropical regions. It is cultivated in various other countries such as China, Australia, Nigeria, and Ceylon. 

The plant is distributed and cultivated throughout India. It is found wild from Himalaya’s, Uttarakhand, Sikkim to Garhwal, Bengal, Assam, Western Ghats, and Travancore- Cochin. 

Curry leaves comes in 3 different varieties: REGULAR, DWARF and GAMTHI.

In Ayurvedic medicine, curry leaves are believed to have many medicinal properties. They are considered to have anti-diabetic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, anti-carcinogenic, and hepatoprotective properties. 

The roots are used for treating body aches and the bark is used for snake bite relief. The leaves, with their huge herbal properties, are used in various local cuisines across India and other parts of Asia as flavoring agents. 

Curry leaves are natural flavoring agents with a number of vital health benefits, which make your food both healthy and tasty along with giving it a pleasant aroma. 

Most illness is caused by infections. Curry leaves are full of carbazole alkaloids which are compounds with antibacterial, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties, So protects against infection as well as cancer. 

Curry leaves also contain the compound linalool. This compound gives curry leaves their scent. This compound has bacteria-killing properties. It also helps in eliminating harmful free radicals from the body. 

A study shows that The acetone extract of the fresh leaves of Murraya koenigii on fractionation gives three bioactive carbazole alkaloids named as mahanimbine, murrayanol, and mahanine, which has shown mosquitocidal and antimicrobial activities 

MAIN THING: Curry leaves have antibacterial properties so it protects against some dangerous bacterial disease. 

Curry leaves have the marvellous ability to protect the body from the ill effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy. It not only protects the chromosomes from damage but also protects the bone marrow and halts the production of free radicals in the body. The study also suggested that this astonishing ability of the leaf could also indicate an ability to protect the body from cancer. 

The chemical constituents found in curry leaves such as phenols are helpful in fighting cancers such as leukemia, prostate cancer, and colorectal cancers.

Curry leaves have alkaloids in them; Mahanine is one of them. The study showed that it kills the prostate cancer cells but does not kill other cells in the body such as the heart or liver cells 

MAIN THING: Curry leaves fights with cancerous cells and reduces the side effects of chemotherapy. 

Most of the time, hair fall is directly connected to follicle health. Hair follicles get clogged due to factors such as an oily scalp, pollution, and the build-up of products. The clogged follicles leave the scalp feeling irritated, causing itching, dandruff, and hair fall. 

Curry leaves can effectively treat these problems because of the following properties: 

Curry leaves are rich in antioxidants that moisturize the scalp while getting rid of dead hair follicles. 

They are a good source of proteins and beta-carotene, both of which stop hair loss and thinning. 

 

The leaves are also rich in amino acids that help strengthen follicles and keep them healthy. 

MAIN THING: Curry leaves paste and oil are very good shampoo and conditioner for hair. 

Curry leaves can be used for treating an upset stomach. Curry leaves are said to support bowel movement and stimulate digestive enzymes. 

Cure gastric ulcer: Crude aqueous extract of leaves showed an efficient reduction in a gastric lesion which provides confirmation about the aqueous extract of leaves of M.Koenigii can act as a good anti-ulcer drug. 

Prevent diarrhea: The study showed that carbazole alkaloids have an anti-diarrheal, anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory property that produces a significant reduction in gastrointestinal motility. 

Improve digestion: Curry leaves are known to be carminative in nature and help greatly indigestion. Once ingested, it helps the stomach digest food well and flush out the rest.

Carbazole alkaloid compound in curry leaves speeds up the process of healing wounds which are not too deep. They help in sealing the gap and restore hair growth in the affected area. Curry leaves have a similar effect on inflamed skin, boils, and first-degree burns. 

Curry leaves have very strong antioxidant properties in addition to powerful anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and antiprotozoal properties that help to protect against common skin infections like acne and fungal infections of the nail that are often difficult to treat. 

The oil of the curry leaves was found to have sun protection factors. 

Curry leaves can be ground to make a fresh paste. You can add a little water to it make the paste more consistent and apply it directly on skin burns, bruises and skin eruptions like boils. The paste can even be left overnight for effective results. You can cover the wound with a bandage or medical gauze.

Curry leaves are a rich source of iron and folic acid. Interestingly, anemia is not only about the lack of iron in the body but also about the body’s inability to absorb iron and use it. This is where folic acid comes into play. 

In general, your body needs folic acid to absorb iron. When there is a lack of folic acid in your body, your iron absorption slows down and thus makes you iron deficit. 

MAIN THING: Kadi Patta has a rich source of iron and folic acid, so it fights against anemia. 

Curry leaves were protected your liver from oxidative stress and harmful toxins that build-up in your body due to the presence of kaempferol, a potent antioxidant. The highly effective anti-oxidative property when combined with vitamins A and C not only protects the liver but also stimulates the organ to work more efficiently. 

If you are a heavy drinker, eat a lot of fish or indulge in other activities that could be causing your liver, then you must eat curry leaves. 

Several clinical studies suggest that curry leaves have effective compounds like tannins and carbazole alkaloids that can protect your liver against oxidative stress and harmful toxins. They are also helpful in protecting the liver from various diseases such as hepatitis and cirrhosis. 

MAIN THING: Curry leaves work as a hepatoprotective medicine. 

Curry leaves contain the most potent nutrients that can stimulate the activity of insulin and thereby control the blood sugar levels and prevents diabetes. 

The Mahanimbine found in Curry leaves can decrease the blood sugar level may be by potentiating insulin effect either by increasing the pancreatic secretion of insulin by beta cells of islets of Langerhans or by increasing the peripheral glucose uptake. 

The study suggested that Extracts of curry leaves resulted in pancreatic beta cell protection and functional pancreatic islets that produce insulin that regulates the insulin production which helps in Diabetes. 

The study showed that Mahanimbine a chemical constituent of curry leaves has a great impact on blood sugar levels of Diabetics. It not only lowers the blood sugar level but also keeps the check for a few days after the administration of curry leaves.  

MAIN THING: It works as an antidiabetic agent and also prevents complications of diabetes. 

Curry leaves lie in preventing heart diseases. It has loads of antioxidants to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol and increase its level. 

Not only this, but it can also increase the amount of good cholesterol (HDL) and reduce LDL or bad cholesterol levels and thus protect you from multiple heart diseases too. 

The study published on Murraya Koenigii found that Carbazole alkaloids a major chemical constituent of curry leaves has antioxidant and lipid-lowering and vasodilating properties that can help in lowering cholesterol levels. Curry leaves stop the oxidation of cholesterol that forms LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol). This, in turn, helps in increasing the amount of good cholesterol (HDL) and protects the body from heart diseases and atherosclerosis. 

For this eat curry leaves along with little jaggery. Finely chop curry leaves and mix it with a little jaggery. Have it before going to bed. 

MAIN THING: Curry leaves increase the amount of good cholesterol (HDL) and protect you from heart disease and atherosclerosis. 

To reduce weight you do different things like exercise, yoga, follow a strict diet plan and you should continue doing these things. You should take care of your diet and include curry leaves in your meal as it is very useful for weight loss. Don’t think too much, just know how curry leaves can reduce your weight. 

When your food is not digested properly, you feel sick and your body becomes heavy which helps to increase your weight. So, eating curry leaves will help to digest the food properly. 

It is very necessary to flush all the impurities present in the body so that the body will be relaxed. You can make a curry leaf soup, tea or juice; it will surely help to flush out all the impurities present in the body.

Immunomodulatory: The leaf extracts of Murray koenigii not only have antidiabetic property but also possess certain effects to regulate immunology related to oxidative stress metabolism. This immunomodulatory and anti-inflammatory activity was evident by interleukin (IL)-2, 4, 10 and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) expression.  

Nephroprotective: Daily oral administration of aqueous extracts of leaves of Murray koenigii to produced a significant dose-dependent reduction in serum urea and creatinine levels. It also produced tissue regeneration in kidneys as observed from histological studies. 

Neuroprotective: Ethanolic extracts of leaves of Murraya koenigii resulted in an increase in grip strength of STZ-induced diabetic rats that developed neuropathy. It indicates that chronic treatment with Murray koenigii besides decreasing glycemic levels offered neuroprotective benefits. 

Boosts Immunity: If you feel like your body is not responding well and you are too lazy to finish your work, then weak immunity or stamina might be a reason for this. Curry leaves have properties that can increase the immunity cells like T cells and make your immune system strong and powerful. 

Reduces congestion in the chest and nose: Curry leaves are packed with vitamin C, A and compounds such as kaempferol that is a very potent anti-inflammatory, decongestant, and antioxidative agent, curry leaves can help loosen up and relieve congested mucus. If you suffer from a wet cough, sinusitis or chest congestion, kadi patta is a very helpful home remedy to relieve the symptoms. 

Good for Eyesight: Curry leaves are beneficial for your eyesight as it contains loads of vitamin A is an essential nutrient for vision. Vitamin A contains carotenoids that protect the cornea, the eye surface. Deficiency of vitamin A may cause night blindness, cloud formations in front of the eye and even loss of vision in some cases. 

Curry leaves should be avoided if one is allergic to it. Curry leaves cause redness, burning, stinging sensation and rarely generalized dermatitis in sensitive individuals. 

Pregnancy: Curry leaves are Unsafe when taken by mouth. it causes a miscarriage. 

Breastfeeding: No information so avoid use on the safe side. 

Select Fresh and shiny leaves 

You should remove the curry leaves from the stems, wash them, and pat them dry. 

Place them on a large plate with a sieve or mesh cover and set the leaves out in the sun for 2-3 days. 

Store the dry leaves in a plastic container. 

You can even keep them in the fridge and simply get one whenever you need it.